The study, titled “From Material Tensions to Organizational Paradoxes: How Manufacturers Cope With the Limits of Circular Product Design,” shows that implementing CPD presents companies with challenges that go far beyond individual technical or organizational hurdles. Instead, manufacturers face fundamental conflicts of interest that are deeply rooted in the properties of materials and product requirements.
Based on a comparative case study of 18 manufacturing companies in German-speaking countries, Vanessa Robertson, together with Nelly Rahimy and Suleika Bort (both from the University of Passau), analyzes how such material tensions translate into various paradoxes at the organizational level. These include, in particular, learning and belonging paradoxes.
The results show that companies cannot fully resolve conflicting objectives within the circular economy. Rather, successful approaches are those that actively manage these tensions at the product, organizational, and ecosystem levels. The strategies employed depend, among other things, on the specific sector, the company’s position in the supply chain, and the underlying motivations for pursuing the circular economy.
The study makes it clear that CPD is not a one-time optimization project: rather, it is an ongoing process in which companies must deal with persistent conflicting objectives. In this regard, the findings provide important insights for both research and practice.
To the publication
Robertson, V., N. Rahimy, and S. Bort. 2026. “From Material Tensions to Organizational Paradoxes: How Manufacturers Cope With the Limits of Circular Product Design.” Business Strategy and the Environment1–32. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70992.
